The four-part docuseries, “Spirit,” previously only was available on Xfinity’s “Black Experience” platform, which is limited to TV and internet customers. The co-ed cheer team became the first from the School District of Philadelphia to compete in the National Cheerleaders Association High School Nationals during the 2022-23 season.
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The series was directed by Matt Howley, a Philadelphia native and La Salle University alum, and produced by Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media. It follows the team’s 15 athletes and coaches Michele Sorkin-Socki and Veronica Hayes during their preparations for district, state and national competitions. It shows how the students overcame cheerleading stereotypes, dealt with a lack of resources and faced challenges at home.
The team competed at Nationals in January 2023 and placed 10th overall. But in February 2025, Howley told PhillyVoice that most of his favorite moments weren’t the athletes’ performances on the mat.
“I think getting to know these kids, and then them inviting us back to their homes, and then sharing their stories with us, I found to be the most rewarding part of this,” Howley said. “That’s something that we try to do in a series like this, to make people really become attached to these kids, so that when they take the mat, it just means that much more.”
Watch the trailer below:
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